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Jan. 16, 1923.

w. J. MACARTHUR.

DEVICE FOR DRAINING WATER FROM OIE TANKS.

' FILED APR. 24. 1922.

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or l:Los ananas, eamroanra DEVIC FOR DRAINING WTER OIL TAN To all'wlwm, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM J. MAGAR- THUR, a subject of the King of Great Britain, Los Angeles, in. the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented a new and useful Device for Drainin Water from Oil Tanks, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the art of produc and transporting petroleum oil. `In this art, the `crude petroleum is commonly pumped or allowed to flow into large metal tanks in which it is 'gauged and fronrwhich it is pumped into a pipe line and transported to the refinery or point of rail shipment. In transporting it through pipe lines, it is necessary in the case of long lines'to locate pumping stations at intervals at which other containers are4 placed in which the oil is tem porarily stored. A great deal ofthe oil contains water andfin the case of open tanks some water may enter the tanks during heavy rain storms. to settle in the bottom of the containers from which it is desirable to draw it from `time to time so as to remove it from the oil before 'the same is used or refined. l y

For the purpose 'of drawing off this water,

draw-off pipes are provided at or near the bottom of each of the tanks or containers and it is the duty of certain of the employees ofthe oil company to periodically draw od' this water' by opening the valve and allowing the water to run. Unless the employee remains at the valve ready to shut it off as soon as the Vwater is withdrawn, there isa great liability of a portion of the oil escaping through this valve, which oil must be caught in an auxiliary settling tank and umped back into the tank. There is also a iability that the employeewill forget to draw ofi' the water so that it is pumped into the line becoming emulsified with oil and vproducing trouble later in the use or refining of the o il.

It is anobject of my invention to provide a device which may be attached to any'tank or container and whichwill be so constructed that water will drain therethrough, and,`

at the same time, so constructed that there is no danger of any appreciable quantity of oil passing therethrough.` I believe that'my device depends for its action upon the difference in viscosity of the oil and water. I am not entirely sure of this theory` and do not wish to be limited thereto, but have constructed and used such .a device simi-lar to All of this water tends from the space below the plane represented 11 is a'taukl n l awing) y having a flange 12 near the ttom and into which a water drawoli" pipe 13 'is connctedl The other end ofthe pipe 13 is threaded in -a casing 20 having a tight cover 21. The

casing is provided with a bore 22 which is accuratelyturned orground to forma cylindrical cavity of substantially uniformldiameter. Sliding in this cavity is a plunger 30, this plunger being' turned or groundA on its outer surface 31 to form a cylinder of substantially uniform external diameter. Set in this-plunger are a plurality of plugs or pins 32 ,which are turned or ground at their outer end to die in a'single cylindrical plane which is parallel to the outer plane 31 of the plunger 30 and substantially equal to the bore 22. The purpose of these pins is to holdrthe plunger 30 centrally at all times with a vsmall but definite clearance between the outer surface 31 of the plunger andthe inner ysurface 22 of the casing 20 and for the purpose of insuring this clearance at alltimes, rings 35 and 36, ground to the same diameter as the bore I22, are formed in the casing, these `rings having longitudinal slots 37, formed therein' lso that the oil and water can pass readily therethrough. The plunger 30 may be adjusted up and down bymeansl of an adjusting screw 40 having a head 41 fitting in asocket 42 in the plunger 30, the screw 40 being threaded in a boss 45 in the cover 21 and being operated by a hand wheel 46. Fluid is taken out plunger 30 by means of an outlet pipe 47. Y

The method of )operation is as follows: Liquid, being admitted to the space inside the casing 20 and above the plunger l30 tions under the average temperature and pressure. It will be evident that the annular opening is of uniform area regardless of the position of the plunger 30 vertically, but that the length of this annular opening can be readily adjusted by moving the plunger 30 up or down in the casing 20. The thickness of the annular opening is made very small in some cases, being only one thousandth ofi'an inch. Due, as'I think, to the difference in viscosity between oil and water, I find/that with the plunger 30 properly adjusted that it is possible to drain water' at a slow rate through the pipe 13, thel flow of liquid stopping' wheneverbil enters the interior of the casing 20, the heavier oil refusing to pass through the extremely small opening provided around the plunger 30. It is, however, necessary from time to time to move the plunger `30 to its eXtreme upper position and allow water or oil to pass therethrough for the purpose of flushing out any foreign matter which may collect therein.

While it is perfectly possible to operate myv invention by "trial, it is also poible to calibrate it; for this purpose, I use a plate 50 Secured by a bolt 51 to the cover andhaving an arbitrary scale 52 thereon. The hand wheel 46 is provided with a raised rim 53 which indicates on the scale the position of the plungerv 30. Any other convenientmethod of calibration may be used.`

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of: al casing; a plunger movable in said casing and so formed as to leave a small opening between said casing and said plunger; and means for `so adjusting said plunger in said casing as to ad'ust the frictional resistance on a body of fluid flowing through saidr opening.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of: a casing; a plunger movable in said casing and so formed as to leave va small Aopening between said casing and `said plunger; and means for adjusting said plunger in said casing to regulate the length of said opening.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of: a casing having a cylindrical bore therein; a plunger movable in said casing and so formed'as to leave a i small opening'betweenisaid casing and said plunger; and means yfor so adjusting 'said plunger in said casing as -to adjust the frictional resistance on a body of fluid flowing through said opening.

L In a,device ofthe characterv described, the combination of: a casing having a cylindrical bore therein; a plunger movable in said casing and so formed as to leave a lsmall openingbetween its exterior and the inside of said cylindrical bore of said casing and said plunger; and means for .so adjusting said plunger in said casing as to adjust the fr-ictional resistance on a body of fluid flowing through said opening.

5. In a device of the, character described, the combination of: a casing; a plunger movable in said casing ,and so formed as to leavev a small annular opening between said caslng and said plunger; and means for so adjusting said plunger in'said casing as to adjust the frictional resistance on a body of luiddlowingthrough saidopening.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination o'f: 'a casing; a plunger movable in said casing, andA so 'formed as to leave a small annular openingubetween saidy casing and said 'plungeryand means for adjusting said plunger in said casing toV regulate the length of said opening.

In a device of the character described,l the combination of: a casing having a cylindrical bore therein; a plunger movable in said casing and so formed as to leave a small annular opening betweensaid casingyand said plunger; and means 4for so adjusting said plunger in said casing as to adjust the frictional resistance on a body of Huid flowing through said opening.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of: a casing having a cylindrical .bore therein; a plunge-r -movable in said casing and so formed asto leave a.

small annular opening between its exterior and the inside of said cylindrical bore of said casing and Said plunger; and means for v so adjusting said plunger .in said casing as to adjust the frictional reslstance on a body of'fluid flowing vthrough said opening.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 19th day of April, 1922.r

WILLIAM J. MAOARTHUR. 

